Like wildebeest to a waterhole, herds of Music Row minions charged into the BMI lobby in Nashville Monday morning (Feb. 27) to nuzzle and graze at the elegant breakfast buffet laid out to celebrate the writers of The Band Perry‘s second No. 1 single, “All Your Life.”

The song, which topped Billboard‘s country songs chart for two weeks, was the first No. 1 for the father-and-daughter writing team of Brian and Clara Henningsen.

The party doubled as a celebration of The Band Perry’s self-titled debut album having reached platinum sales status.

While the crowd assembled in the gigantic room, guests foraged on such delicacies as sausage, eggs and cheese casserole, bacon with white cheddar and cheese bread pudding, brie and smoky Gouda cheese grits and a variety of cakes and breads, plus fresh berries of all shapes and hues.

“I’ve never done any of these [No. 1 parties] on a Monday morning,” remarked BMI’s Clay Bradley, who hosted the event. “What a way to start the week!”

“Families working together created this thing we call country music,” Bradley continued. “Anyone remember the Carter Family?”

Bradley was referring to the fact that The Band Perry is a brothers and sister trio and that the Henningsen family, which also includes songwriter Aaron Henningsen, write and perform together.

After a round of BMI awards were handed out, including trophies and acoustic guitars for the Henningsen, music publisher Ben Vaughn came forward with his own list.

“We are going to unapologetically give out a lot of plaques today,” he said, somewhat apologetically. And that he did, distributing 14 of the trophies to virtually every principal player involved in the song’s success.

“Songs have moments,” Brian Henningsen told the celebrants. “That’s what you strive for when you write. … When you find the moment in the song, the song becomes special.”

“The one thing we love about music,” said the band’s lead singer, Kimberly Perry, “is that it has this way of bringing the whole world together.”

Then Scott Borchetta, head of the Big Machine Label Group, which includes the Republic Nashville label, came to the stage to hand out the platinum plaques symbolizing that 1 million copies of The Band Perry have been shipped to retailers.

“Obviously, extraordinary still happens,” he said, alluding to the fact that substantial album sales are still possible, even though the market for physical records is waning.

“I am bullish about music,” Borchetta proclaimed.

He paused to point out that Wynonna was in the room. She attended with her fiancé, Cactus Moser, who is one of the publishers of “All Your Life.”

Jimmy Harnen, president of Republic Nashville, The Band Perry’s label, noted that copies of “If I Die Young,”
the band’s first No. 1, have been selling so well that the plaques he handed that signified sales of 3 million digital downloads of the single are already out of date.